Man Forced To Stop Praying On Clemson Campus Because He Was Not In “Designated Free Speech Area”
A man at Clemson University was forced to stop praying on campus because he was not in a designated “free speech area” and was therefore “soliciting.”
Immediately afterwards, Young America’s Foundation member Kyra Palange, who was also praying with the man, approached the administrator and began grilling him on camera. The administrator identified himself as Shawn Jones, Clemson’s assistant director for client services. Jones explained that the university has designated “free speech areas” on campus for prayer, and that since the man was not a student or faculty member, he would need to file paperwork with the university before resuming his prayer session.
Everybody’s freaking out about this right now, and rightfully so. Colleges unfairly prohibit free speech on a regular basis. But allow me to play Devil’s Advocate in this situation.
Many, many campuses across America are plagued by at least one religious whack-job non-student standing on a street corner, shouting fire and brimstone at students as they walk to class. It sounds to me like the law Jones was enforcing is Clemson’s way of keeping these people off university grounds. The man Jones removed was not a student. If he was, I guarantee Jones wouldn’t have done shit. I’m not saying this particular man is one of those aggravating “ALL YOU KIDS ARE GOING TO HELL!” mouth breathers. But I am saying Clemson probably has enough of them (I know neighboring USC did because I went there). It sucks if this man was one of the good ones and the mouth breathers ruined it for him.
Yes, public universities often overstep their bounds, and yes, sometimes what they do is pretty fucked up — like removing students for holding up pro-Trump signs — but I’m all for them removing the loud religious zealots. Maybe next time, Jones should wait to see if the people praying are chill, or if they’re being dicks and shouting, “STRUMPETS!” at girls in yoga pants. Because if they’re chill and praying quietly, removing them just makes the university look like the dick..
Image via YouTube
I believe our constitution designates the whole country as a free speech area.
8 years ago at 6:22 pmEverything comes for free when you’re Brock Turner
8 years ago at 7:04 pmGetting blackballed doesn’t make you cool. It usually means you’re a dick.
8 years ago at 9:47 pmI can neither confirm nor deny Karl’s comment.
8 years ago at 6:30 amTechnically the Constitution protects the right, doesn’t designate it. The consitution’s purpose is to prohibit government from violating natural rights we have just by nature of being human. What makes America the best is that other countries, even “free,” countries don’t have such restraints on government. In fact when it comes to free speech specifically, we’re pretty much the only country left that has real, full free speech as a protected right.
8 years ago at 6:55 amWhere can I file to create a safe space for me to jerkoff in public? Friend asking
8 years ago at 6:23 pmAnother example of the pussification of America
8 years ago at 6:24 pmI’ll pussificate ur butt
8 years ago at 9:09 amDidn’t expect this from Clemson. What is happening to this country?
8 years ago at 6:33 pmThe current CU president is a knee-jerk SJW so consumed with white guilt I assume he hates even looking at himself in the mirror.
8 years ago at 9:15 pmHe was just trying to counteract the Force of Satan that reigns in Alabama.
8 years ago at 6:41 pmBut for real, those preachers on campus are annoying as shit
8 years ago at 6:51 pmFuck liberals
8 years ago at 8:16 pmHow is this even legal? Seriously. How is this even legal.
8 years ago at 8:45 pmThis guy wasn’t one of the screaming nutjobs, he was sitting quietly in a lawn chair with a sign that said “prayer”. What’s odd about this is the “strumpets!!” preacher does come to campus a couple of times each year, and they don’t give him any trouble at all, probably because they know he wants them to try something so he can sue. This wouldn’t be such a big deal if they didn’t allow a group of SJWs to take over the main administrative building for over a week last year with no repercussions at all.
8 years ago at 9:12 pmMust not have been white
8 years ago at 9:30 pm